meditation

Each Chakra is directly linked to your mental, physical and spiritual attributes. By understanding each Chakra and how to keep the energy flowing freely, you can achieve harmony within yourself.

Located at the base of the spine, the Root Chakra, also called the Base Chakra and Muladhara (Hindu), grounds you, influences your survival instincts, gives you a strong foundation and connects you to the physical world.

Root Chakra Information:

Color: main – red, other colors – brown, black and gray

Element: earth

Sound: C/Oohm

Identity: physical

Sense: smell

Body functions: elimination and sex drive

Organs: large intestines, immune system and all reproductive organs

Developmental stage: womb to 12 months

Incense: cedar

Herb: sage

Why Is a Balanced Root Chakra Important?

When the Root Chakra is in balance, you feel secure, safe and stable in your life. You let go of fear easily and worry less. Your connection with your physical body, environment and the Earth is strong, which allows you to harness courage and be resourceful. You know your place in the world and work with the world, not against it.

How Do I Know If My Root Chakra Is Out of Balance?

Your Root Chakra can be under- or overactive, which causes it to be out of balance. Review the lists below to see if your Root Chakra is imbalanced:Underactive Root Chakra:

Neglecting yourself

Poor discipline, setting of boundaries

Depressed

Underweight, not hungry or able to eat

Disorganized

Insecure, anxious and nervous

Lack of energy and lethargic

Disconnected/not feeling you belong

Lack of sex drive

Overactive Root Chakra:

Overeating and unhealthy food cravings

Fear and/or paranoia

Addition to adrenaline activities

Hoarding and material fixation

Aggression and anger

Need to be in control, dominate

Over active sex drive

Physical

Constipation

Lower back, hip, leg, knee and/or feet pain

Rectal/anal problems

Frequent illness

Prostate problems for men

Bladder and/or kidney issues

Frequent illness

How Do I Balance (Open) My Root Chakra?

Physical Exercises:

As you inhale, contract the muscles between your anus and genitals inward, and relax these muscles as you exhale. Do this a few minutes daily. This exercise can be done while sitting, standing or walking.

Walking – as you walk concentrate on your feet connecting with the earth and feel your connection with your surroundings. Walk barefoot when possible.

Dance – turn up your favorite tunes and let your body move with the music as you feel the vibrations within your body.

Meditation: Helps to ground you, gives feeling of safety, connects you to your higher self and provides a sense of peace and stability. As you meditate focus on the tip of your nose to help align the Root Chakra. It is also best if you sit on the floor to feel your connection with the earth.

Chanting/Tonal Sounds: The sound vibrations help the cells work together in harmony, and the Root Chakra harmonizes with the C note. The mantra sound for the Root Chakra is LAM – see the video below. These techniques can be incorporated into your meditation.

Gemstones: Lie down and place gemstones on the area of the Root Chakra for 15 minutes to help realign the Chakra. Garnet, Red Jasper, Ruby, Bloodstone, Hematite or Agate for underactive Root Chakra, and Black Tourmaline, Smoky Quartz, Onyx, Obsidian and Emerald when the Root Chakra is overactive. You can use one or many types of gemstones during this process.

Food: Eat red food like red apples, strawberries, red cabbage, beets and tomatoes. Other foods to eat include ginger, root vegetables like potatoes and carrots and high protein foods such as eggs, meat, nuts, tofu and beans.

Need help balancing your Root Chakra? Call Seeds of Wellness to schedule a Reiki session with Lynne or Brenda. Also go to our Events webpage to see when Greg Kendzior can balance your Root Chakra and other Chakras using massage therapy and/or tuning forks.

The ancient tradition of Chakras originated in India, and the word translates to “wheel” or “circle”. What we know about Chakras today comes from the practice of yoga. Chakras refer to the universal life force (energy) that circulates through us. Each Chakra transmits and stores the universal energy as it spins.

There are seven Chakras, which correspond to different areas of your spine, major organs, emotions and spiritual being. The list below includes the name, color and location of each Chakra:

Third Eye Chakra (indigo) – Between the eyes at the bridge of the nose (brain, ears, eyes, pituitary gland, neurological system)

Crown Chakra (white/violet) – located at the top of the skull, or outside the body directly above the head (Central nervous system, skin, muscular system, pineal gland)

Many believe that blocked Chakra energy leads to illness and imbalance because the energy cannot flow freely. How the blockage affects you depends on which Chakra(s) are not in balance.

Imbalance can be noticed by paying attention to frequent issues in an area of the body. For example, reoccurring headaches shows imbalance and blockage in the Third Eye Chakra and constant constipation relates to the Root Chakra needing opened.

There are several ways you can bring your Chakras back into balance. Yoga, meditation and chanting (to name a few) help bring balance to specific Chakras or all seven Chakras without needing help from another person. Alternative healing practitioners of Reiki, tuning forks, acupressure and other healing practices help clear blockages from all seven Chakras and alleviate stress within the body through non-invasive healing techniques and remedies.

Seeds of Wellness provides Reiki, massage and tuning fork treatments. See our Services and Event web pages to learn more. We are also starting a monthlymeditation group to explore different types of meditation techniques. Call us to learn more about the group and our services.

Over the years I have heard people talk about meditation and the need to quiet your mind. I remember sitting on my living room floor without a single TV or radio playing and trying to stop thinking. It didn’t work, so I never tried it again.

Lately, I have learned that there are many ways to meditate, and they don’t all involve shutting down all thoughts. “Our brain is like a wayward puppy, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is the mediation,” according to Mike Brooks, an Austin, Texas-based psychologist*.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation, a simple, easy and inexpensive way to calm your mind and find inner peace, has been practiced for centuries. The practice of meditation started as a way to help deepen your understanding of the mystical forces of life. Today, mediation is mainly used to help you relax and reduce your stress.

What makes meditation so popular is its simplicity. No special equipment, specific location or a certain position is needed to meditate. It can be as easy as focusing on your breathe as you let go of each thought as it arises.

Is There More Than One Way to Meditate?

There are different types of meditations. A few of the popular types are listed below:

Mindfulness: Also called “Vipassana”, is the most popular form of meditation in the western world and originates from a Buddhist tradition. As you become aware of your breathing, you let your thoughts and emotions run, being aware of each thought and emotion without judging or focusing on it.

Transcendental Meditation: Comes from Hinduism. You sit with your back straight while repeating a mantra or sacred word. At more advance levels, you focus on changing your breathing to change your state of being.

Kundalini: You focus on the chakras as you concentrate on your breathing. While meditating, you start at the root chakra and focus on the energy while working your way upward to the crown chakra.

Qi Gong: (pronounced CHEE-gung) A form of Taoist mediation has you focus your attention on your breathing while you envision circulating energy in and around your body and spirit. It combines relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore balance.

Guided Visualization: Involves concentrating on an image or imaginary environment and many times is done while listening to a recording. Some recordings provide a method that you can use to meditate with or without the recording.

Heart Rhythm Meditation: As you breathe full, deep, rhythmic breaths, you focus on different areas of your body to feel your heart beat in that location.

You may also enjoy moving forms of meditation such as Tai Chi, Yoga and walking meditation where you focus your mind on a sound, movement, object or single thought.

Are There Mental Benefits to Meditating?

Meditation helps reduce information overload that can contribute to your stress. In doing so, you may feel the following:

Reduced anxiety

Improved concentration

Increased mental focus and memory

Stabilized moods

Handled stressful situations better

Increased happiness

Decreased negative emotions

Improved self-awareness

What Are the Physical Benefits?

The physical benefits are still being debated, but there is growing scientific support showing that meditating does have medical benefits. Some of these benefits include the following:

Lowers blood pressure

Decreases muscle tension

Boosts your immune system

Increases your energy level

Slows aging

Meditation doesn’t cure illnesses. If you have any serious illnesses, you should talk with your doctor about any pros and cons of meditation before you begin meditating.

Overall, meditating helps you de-stress be releasing stress from your system and preventing stress from getting into your system simultaneously. This occurs no matter which type of meditation you choose to do. It takes only 20 minutes or less daily and can be accomplished almost any where.

If you are interested in being part of a meditation group once a month, please contact Seeds of Wellness at 440-933-7733. If we have enough interest and a common day and time, we will start offering monthly meditation sessions.